Posts from ‘Wii’ Category

By: Derek Yu

On: May 3rd, 2012

Nicalis has decided to suddenly cancel the North American and European release of La Mulana, citing declining sales on WiiWare and developmental issues as the cause. Nicalis’s Tyrone Rodriguez told GoNintendo: “With the Wii U in the not too distant future and WiiWare sales almost non-existent, I had to make a call today. I wish them the best. They’re good game developers and good guys.” Click the link for the full statement, which points to the DLC as the main reason why La Mulana was having trouble passing certification in North America and Europe (it’s apparently more strict than in Japan, where NIGORO already self-published the game). You may also want to check the Twitter accounts of NIGORO and Nicalis for more details.

Thankfully, it’s not all bad news: according to NIGORO, a PC release of the new La Mulana is almost finished and will also be self-published. Distribution has yet to be determined.

By: Derek Yu

On: June 1st, 2011

After a number of delays (not the least of which was the terrible Japanese earthquake that hit earlier this year), La Mulana passed its final check for Japanese WiiWare and has announced a release date of June 21st in Japan. It’s currently going through final check for North American and Europe and the release dates for those areas will be announced later (some time after E3, according to the Nicalis twitter).

By: Derek Yu

On: June 3rd, 2010

Wow. Do you guys remember Grand Theftendo (web archive), Brian Provinciano’s homebrew NES demake of Grand Theft Auto? The game first came to my attention around 2004, but dropped out of sight after a year or so, only to resurface in 2009 as an entrant in that year’s IGF! It seemed like a pretty sweet project.

Anyway, after IGF the game went back into hiding, so it comes as quite a surprise that just a few hours ago Brian’s company, Vblank Entertainment, announced Retro City Rampage for WiiWare. According to the game’s website, RCR is slated for a Fall release. More details will be released in the upcoming issue of Nintendo Power.

It just goes to show you – never give up! Who knows? Maybe someday They Came From Hollywood will even see the sunshine! (Okay, so there’s probably not enough hope in 50 million Obamas for that outcome. But we can dream.)

2010 IGF Grand Prize nominee Joe Danger is arriving on PSN much sooner. Specifically, it’s coming out on June 8th (North America) and June 9th (rest of the world). Developer Hello Games had originally announced that they were looking at XBLA, PC, and PSN, but earlier this year it was revealed that the game would be a PSN exclusive.

Speaking of IGF nominees and PSN, Eufloria is also heading to the PlayStation Network in early 2011. According to Alex May, “this reboot, much of which will come as a free update to current and future owners of the game, will feature some of the things we wanted to get in the first time around but couldn’t because of pesky things like day jobs and deadlines and other such nonsense”. Sounds great! And dude quit his job to work on the game full time! Congratulations!

By: Derek Yu

On: April 12th, 2010

Wish us luck and hopefully it won’t take too long before you hear more about it! I don’t have that much else to share, when I work on things alone I don’t like to talk about it until I have something substantial finished, but I have not given up on life, if that worries you.

As you may have heard, Golgoth is also remaking Toki and has hinted at a Joe & Mac remake, as well. You can still buy Noitu Love 2 on PC for $10 via Joakim’s site. It’s a fantastic game.

By: Derek Yu

On: March 15th, 2010

If you’re a Cave Story fan I think you’re going to enjoy this video! The game is coming out for WiiWare (North America) on March 22nd. Check the Nicalis blog for more information and other goodies, like fan art.

Also, here’s a brief interview I did with Pixel about Cave Story Wii last year. Various constraints forbade me from posting it until now. Enjoy!

Derek: Hi, Pixel, it’s nice to get to speak with you again!

Pixel: Thanks!

D: How is the Cave Story Wii project going?

P: Iâ€™ve played it a few times to check the gameâ€™s progress through development. It feels very good. I find the newly re-drawn artwork agreeable and Iâ€™m happy with the newly re-mixed music.

D: Last time I talked with you, you said you were hesitant to do games commercially, and to work in a group where your vision might be compromised. What made you decide to work with Nicalis on this project?

P: I, myself, have thought about making commercial games, but I havenâ€™t had any good ideas about it. When Tyrone first contacted me I was a bit puzzled and didnâ€™t really understand entirely. After our continued discussions I could feel Tyroneâ€™s passion for Cave Story. It surpassed my own and I felt that I could leave it up to him.

D: When did you start working on the project, exactly?

P: When was it? I think maybe Spring or Summer of â€˜08? Tyrone, when was it?

(Tyrone: Thatâ€™s right.)

D: What was the process like, working with Nicalis? Do you talk every day? How did you get around the language barrier?

P: Tyrone’s wife is Japanese and I am grateful for her help in advancing my conversations with Tyrone this far. Heâ€™s currently studying Japanese; we’re not able to communicate entirely with each other with just us when he visits my home. My English studies have not gotten far…I’m sorry.

(T: Derek, heâ€™s being very modest, his English has come a LONG way.)

D: Are you happy with the new features, like the high resolution graphics? How did you and Nicalis decide on these features?

P: I am satisfied with how Cave Story turned out on the Wii. Itâ€™s fun to think about games, but to actually implement them is many times more difficult. Now that itâ€™s come together I feel rewarded thanks to the support of all the players.

D: Are you interested in doing more commercial game development now?

P: I havenâ€™t thought about it yet. I can’t think in my head of what’s necessary.

D: I noticed that fans sent you a DS last year, and you must also have a Wii now. Are you trying out a lot of new games? Are there any that captivate you?

P: I donâ€™t have a Wii yet, but I plan on getting one.

D: Cave Story has made a huge impact on the Western independent game scene. Do you play any indie games or have any thoughts about them?

P: I don’t know too much about indie games. You mean games created by an individual and such, right? I have looked around for free games, but lately, due to time constraints, I havenâ€™t had time to play much.

D: What has the response to the Cave Story Wii project been like in Japan?

P: I received many congratulatory words. I’m happy because many people have expressed interest in a Japanese version for Wii.

D: Have you worked on anything else game-related in the meantime?

P: I’m working a little bit on an RPG, but I’m still barely on the basic systems.

D: Have you worked on anything else creative, like art and music?

P: Right now Iâ€™ve just been making the RPG. I’ve made a bit of pixel art and music for the RPG, but itâ€™s all still temporary.

D: You were a student when you started Cave Story, and you were an office worker when you finished. Now that Cave Story Wii is almost out, is your life even more different?

P: It stopped once I got job. Lately, I’ve been coming home late so I’ve left the house duties and child support to my wife. Saturdays and Sundays are spent doing household chores. Anything creative is typically done on nights during the week.

D: How often do you play your own games? Do you have any new thoughts about Cave Story now?

P: I test my games until theyâ€™re complete, until I hate them. So, I end up not playing the games I create. But Iâ€™m looking forward to playing Cave Story on the Wii.

I still receive requests for a sequel to Cave Story even now. I don’t have any ideas for a sequel to Cave Story, but if I started making it, I believe I could come up with something. Cave Story was actually developed in that manner.

D: It’s popular to ask a random question at the end of the interview. Last time I asked you what your favorite food was, and you said lightly-salted onigiri (Japanese rice balls). This time I’ll ask you what your favorite movie is!

P: My favorite movie is The Game with Michael Douglas. I watched it twice and enjoyed it both times. Also, A Chinese Ghost Story (Joey Wong) – I saw it when I was a kid, but it was a very uncomfortable feeling. Also, a few more I can recall are Mr. Vampire 2, Aliens, and Pom Poko.

D: Once again, if you have anything else you’d like to say to your fans…

P: Thank you for your support.

I hope that you will some day will be able to play the RPG being created now. Although it’s still into the unforeseeable future…

By: Derek Yu

On: February 9th, 2010

The Behemoth’s “Game 3” is now officially called BattleBlock Theater (website under construction).

On the Super Meat Boy front, here’s a sneak peek at Chapter 2, which takes place in a haunted hospital. Lots of hypodermic needles abound! Possibly inspired by Edmund’s gruesome surgery? More videos of this chapter can be found at IGN.

Notch has been hard at work on Minecraft. This fan-made video shows off some of the new additions to the game, including crafting, farming, and DYYY-NO-MITE!

Sky Invader is a really nice-looking MMF2 game that’s in early development. In the game you control a giant alien spaceship against an army of Earth defenders. Clement, the creator, promises in the YouTube comments that the final game will be “more tactical than shooter”. Thanks to the Pixel Prospector for prospecting this one!

Lots of progress on Michal “Soldat” Marcinkowski’s Link-Dead. Michal’s been working hard on AI lately – the above video shows him fighting one of his new bots, which has pathfinding and cover/reload logic. (The graphics are still procedurally generated.)

Also, no videos but… fans of Gesundheit! and Cortex Command will be happy to know that their creators are updating once again.

By: Derek Yu

On: December 10th, 2009

Here are a couple of small bite-sized updates from Japan, suitable for snacking.

First, here’s a sprite sheet that NIGOROposted on their La Mulana Wii blog. I dunno, I really like looking at stuff like this.

Second, for you Pixel fans: he’s released a tiny new game that you can download from the front page of his website. It’s called Akantares (?) and the goal is to shoot your opponent five times. The gray orbs create gravity wells that bend your shots. That’s about it.

The first window asks for your name. There might be some multiplayer options, but I’m not sure. The AI is only so-so, but it’s still strangely fun to play. (Thanks, R. D. Ein, for the heads-up.)

Update: The lovable, huggable Shih Tzu was kind enough to post a translation in the comments. Apparently, the second window is a lobby that lets you connect to other players via the web. Making this game a lot more interesting, indeed.

By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)

On: September 16th, 2009

BIT.TRIPVOID, the third entry in the series of groovy, retro arcade games from Gaijin Games (the previous two being CORE and BEAT), is coming to WiiWare later this year. VOID seems to be less rhythmic than its predecessors, and more like a shooter, which is okay by me. I’m pretty bad at the BIT.TRIP games generally, but I just can’t seem to resist forking over my Wii Points for them…